Location: Bogotá, Colombia

Position Status: Full-time, on-going

Salary: pending benchmark on local scale - range commensurate on professional experience 

Closing date: Please submit applications by end of Wednesday September 9

Risk Level:  X Level 3     ☐ Level 2     ☐ Level 1

Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 30 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.  Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has worked in Colombia for over 20 years, supporting communities affected by conflict, displacement, and migration. Mercy Corps Colombia has a staff of 300+ and an FY27 budget of $50+ million. We partner with smallholder farmers, youth, women, LGBTI+ individuals, and Venezuelan migrants to advance peacebuilding, land formalization, economic opportunity, and humanitarian assistance.

Our Land and Rural Development portfolio includes flagship programs funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF) supporting illicit crop substitution, land titling, local associations, and tertiary road improvements in Catatumbo and Cauca. We also work on water security and climate resilience for coffee-growing families in Cauca with support from the Starbucks Foundation.

Our humanitarian portfolio spans four programs. ResiRed, financed by Twilio, supports anticipatory action for communities in San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. Securing Land, Reclaiming Futures, funded by the HGBF and implemented with partner Humanicemos DH, focuses on humanitarian demining and community landmine education. ConEsperanza, our OCHA-funded humanitarian assistance consortium, delivers protection, health, and other lifesaving support across Colombia. JovenPro, supported by the Hilton Foundation, equips Colombian and Venezuelan youth with the skills needed to access dignified employment. We also work closely with government entities including the National Land Agency, the Victims Unit, and municipal offices.

The Position

The Mercy Corps Colombia Country Director (CD) leads a large, complex country program and is accountable for both the quality of its programming and the strength of the operations that support it. This is a leadership role for someone who can move fluidly between strategy and execution: setting a compelling programmatic vision while also ensuring the systems, controls, and teams that deliver it are efficient, compliant, and cost-effective.

The CD has held senior roles managing operations and/or programming in fluid, complex environments and has a track record of sound financial stewardship, including disciplined budget management with minimal errors. The CD is responsible for the smooth functioning of the country program in compliance with local law, Mercy Corps policy, and donor rules and regulations, and for ensuring that all Colombia programs meet PM@MC standards and are delivered on time, on budget, and on scope.

The CD builds sustainable, multi-sector programming and holds the team accountable to participants and donors alike, while placing a premium on innovative solutions and strong partnerships. Critically, the CD ensures that program teams receive the operational support they need to succeed in challenging environments, treating operations as an enabler of program quality rather than a separate function. Extensive experience in emergency response and rapid scale-up of both programs and support functions is strongly preferred.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Planning

•       Formulate and communicate a clear vision for program goals and strategy, translating it into concrete plans for team members and stakeholders.

•       Lead country planning processes and provide strategic updates aligned with Mercy Corps' Pathway to Prosperity.

•       Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to meet program and agency objectives.

•       Draw on technical support teams collaboratively.

•       Identify, evaluate, and pursue new country and project funding opportunities that extend impact and integrate initiatives; support and direct fundraising with institutional and private donors.

Team Management

•       Build the team's capacity, deepen understanding of individual roles, and provide mentorship and career development support.

•       Lead the Senior Management Team and Extended Senior Management Team.

•       Equip team members with the information, tools, and resources needed to perform and reach objectives.

•       Promote accountability, set clear expectations, and give constructive feedback through regular one-on-ones and formal performance reviews.

•       Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where the team strives for excellence.

•       Hire, onboard, and lead team members as needed.

Program Delivery Management

•       Serve as Mercy Corps' legal representative in Colombia, identifying and minimizing legal risk.

•       Oversee program quality and impact, ensuring programs rest on sound design principles and use Mercy Corps' and donors' required MEL systems.

•       Ensure effective, transparent use of resources in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.

•       Oversee budget management for sub-grantees and sub-contractors, where applicable, with close attention to accuracy and accountability.

•       Fulfill Mercy Corps' Program Management Minimum Standards per organization-wide policy.

•       Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps' Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

•       Promote a culture of ethics through personal example, and manage ethics cases, including safeguarding cases, as they arise.

Operations Management

•       Supervise the operations unit, comprised of Human Resources, Finance, Security, Ethics, and IT, to deliver effective, client-centered services adapted to location-specific program needs.

•       Uphold the highest compliance standards under donor and Mercy Corps regulations, with a focus on precise, error-free budget and financial management.

•       Maintain close oversight of the overall budget, adjusting operations costs as needed to keep program implementation cost-effective without compromising quality.

•       Ensure program teams have the operational support and resources needed to deliver effectively in complex, resource-constrained environments.

Influence & Representation

•       Represent Mercy Corps programs with national and international media and participate in community activities as appropriate.

•       Maintain productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including private partners, consortium partners, local governments, foundations, the private sector, and donors.

•       Anticipate donor needs, understand diverse donor priorities, and help shape donor thinking on relief and development.

•       Identify, evaluate, and pursue innovative funding opportunities.

•       Demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and composure while maintaining positive relationships.

•       Uphold high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.

•       Maintain awareness of personal strengths and development needs.

Security

•       Liaise with the global security team, the Regional Program Director, and the Regional Security Advisor on critical events, high-risk periods, incident reporting, and security policy changes.

Supervisory Responsibility: Senior Director of Humanitarian Programs and Program Quality, Senior Director of Land and Rural Development, Deputy Country Director for Operations, Communications Manager, ConEsperanza Consortium Director, and Executive Assistant.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Regional Vice President, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

Works Directly With: Regional Program and Operations Team, International Finance, Program Quality Unit, Technical Services Unit, New Initiatives, Policy and Advocacy, People Team, Communications, and Security.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support accountability to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and the international standards guiding relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

•       BA/S or equivalent in a relevant field required; MA/S preferred.

•       10+ years of field experience in international relief and development programs, with demonstrable success managing emergency response and complex development programs.

•       7+ years of senior-level leadership, capacity building, and field management experience; prior Country Director experience with Mercy Corps or a peer organization strongly preferred.

•       Strong knowledge of the Colombian context; previous work in Colombia strongly preferred.

•       Demonstrated capacity to respond to emergencies and disasters as needed.

•       Knowledge of Sphere standards and other emergency response training preferred.

•       Proven track record working effectively and respectfully with host government, private sector, INGO, and NGO partners in complex environments.

•       Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management, or a commitment to obtain one early in the role.

•       Strong financial and grants management skills, with a demonstrated record of accuracy and compliance; prior experience with the US Department of State, ECHO, or private donors including the HGBF preferred.

•       Strong negotiation, communication, and organizational skills.

•       Excellent oral and written English and Spanish required.

•       Ability to work effectively with a diverse team in a sensitive environment.

•       Previous work experience in insecure environments.

Success Factors

The Colombia Country Director is an assertive, quick-thinking, experienced leader who brings a genuine balance of programmatic and operational strength. They understand what it takes to deliver high-quality, client-centered programs in challenging environments, and they apply the same rigor to the systems that support them: budgets are managed accurately, compliance is treated as non-negotiable, and resources are used efficiently and cost-effectively. They see operations as being in service of programs, and make sure program teams get the support they need to do their jobs well, especially where conditions are complex.

The CD inspires confidence among donors, government counterparts, NGO and private sector allies, and their own team. They are an excellent communicator who can align a team behind a shared goal and drive a fast-paced, adaptive program, surfacing problems early and adjusting quickly when something isn't working, while creating a working environment that rewards innovation and accountability in equal measure. They build and develop national staff capacity, work effectively across an ethnically and gender-diverse team, and bring strong information management and strategic thinking to both programming and operational decisions.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Bogotá, Colombia and it requires up to 40% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Mercy Corps staff have access to good medical services and the living situation in Bogotá is of a high standard. 

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and professional growth.

Team Engagement and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that everyone we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants, or others, is treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse set out by the UN Secretary General and IASC, and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We do not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. Team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times, and are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning upon hire and annually thereafter.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report it to the Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).